As Jenna quickly tried to think of a way to "take" the silver pocket watch from Zhou Mingrui, Luo Shan suddenly spoke up. "I'll go."
Uh... Jenna and Lumian both turned to look at Luo Shan at the same time.
Luo Shan flashed a smile that said, "It's no big deal."
"I know Zhou Mingrui. We're on good terms, we're close colleagues. It'll be easier for me to get close to him than you two.
"Although he's somewhat suspicious of me now and knows I have Beyonder powers, and he's picked up on my hints, overall, he should still see me as an ally. someone on his side. Right? My analysis is correct, isn't it?"
Luo Shan showed a lack of confidence in these kinds of matters.
Before Lumian or Jenna could respond, she gave a self-deprecating smile and said, "Zhou Mingrui might be wary, might be on guard, but he'd never suspect that my target is the pocket watch.
"And besides..."
She paused for a moment and then added, "You two are outsiders. Even if you just trigger his suspicions, he might kick you out, but I won't. I'm from here. At most, I just need to be a little more careful afterward!"
"No, it's still dangerous." Jenna warned Luo Shan seriously. "We've never tried having someone like you directly confront Zhou Mingrui or do anything to him, so we can't predict what might happen or what the worst outcome might be. And judging by similar cases, you could end up with a light suddenly falling from the ceiling, smashing your head, killing you instantly, or you could drop dead the moment you touch that pocket watch."
Luo Shan's expression turned solemn.
She nodded slowly and said, "I know."
Before Jenna or Lumian could try to dissuade her further, she unexpectedly asked in a low voice, "What is the real me like?"
While Lumian was observing Zhou Mingrui and Zhou Sasa, Jenna fell silent for two seconds and then answered, "She's a civilian staff at the police station. Her father was also an official Beyonder, but he died in a Beyonder disaster.
"She's lively, though a bit lazy, but her colleagues really like her. They all treat her like a little sister. She's married now, with a lovely child."
Luo Shan listened intently, and after a few seconds, she said, "Isn't that another version of me?
"It really is another me..."
Her eyes flickered as she looked at Jenna, and with a hint of playfulness, she said, "If you ever meet her, please tell her:
"I envy her..."
Hearing this, Jenna suddenly felt a lump in her throat, and emotions swirled in her chest, making it hard to speak.
Luo Shan slowly straightened her back.
"And also tell her, I have my own pride, and I've had experiences she might envy."
Luo Shan's serious expression gradually softened, as though she was talking to herself.
"I've been reflecting a lot lately, thinking about my past.
"My mother was so real, my interactions with her were so real. My father was real, too, and his sacrifice was just as real. My childhood, my middle school, high school, college, and my work experiences, all those details, all those moments-they were so real.
"I can still remember the smell of my mom, the taste of her best dish, eggplant with pork. I can remember where my dad's police uniform had a hole burned by a cigarette, where he hid snacks he bought for me…
"To you. these might be part of a a dreamscape, but to me, they couldn't be more real. They are the meaning of my existence.
"And because of those memories and that past, I feel real. No matter how you see it.
"Now, I'm going to do something I've always dreamed of. It will make me even more real. It will give my life more meaning, no longer just a dream or someone else's fantasy!"
Before Jenna could respond, Lumian suddenly said.
"Alright. You approach Zhou Mingrui, and find a way to steal that pocket watch."
Luo Shan was stunned, not expecting Lumian to agree so quickly.
In the blink of an eye, a smile appeared on her face, a smile filled with pride and nostalgia.
She looked at Jenna and asked softly, "I-if this dream breaks apart and you two leave alive, will you remember me? Will you remember that there was a Luo Shan, and the things I did?"
Jenna's vision blurred instantly, and she choked up as she said.
"I will. I'll always remember that I had a friend named Luo Shan. She was lively and kind, though a bit lazy. She was a girl who always missed her mom, but she had a strong sense of justice, just like her father..."
Luo Shan smiled, full of relief. "That means I really lived. My life was real."
She took a deep breath and pointed toward Zhou Mingrui and Zhou Sasa.
"I have to hurry. They're almost at the entrance to the ride-hailing parking lot."
"Alright," Lumian and Jenna replied briefly.
Luo Shan took a step toward the exit but suddenly turned around, flashing a bright smile at Jenna and Lumian.
With a mix of nerves and excitement, she said, "I can be a guardian too."
Without waiting for a response, she turned back and ran toward Zhou Mingrui and Zhou Sasa, wearing her blouse and skirt.
She used her Reporter ability in small bursts, speeding up quickly, moving as gracefully and nimbly as a young deer.
Lumian watched her back and softly repeated her words, "Guardian..."
…
Inside Crimson Moon Hospital.
In a dimly lit patient room, with the curtains drawn, even though it was noon, Anthony used the last remaining Mirror Traversal effect of the Ice Mirror Charm, bringing himself and Ludwig out of the bathroom mirror.
They walked over to the hospital bed, where Anthony studied An Xiaotian's head. There were centipede-like stitches across his scalp, and his face was covered with thick, dark facial hair. After a few seconds, Anthony turned to Ludwig and asked, "Can he be cured?"
"I don't know. We'll have to try and see," Ludwig replied. He plucked a golden mushroom from the cracked corner of his eye and chewed it down.
The efficacy of the spores he absorbed from mushrooms to heal An Xiaotian was uncertain-this wasn't something a Gourmet typically dealt with.
Anthony surveyed the room before pulling out a blank sketchbook and a pencil. He set the book down on the TV table and quickly began sketching.
Before long, he finished a drawing.
It was a complex maze, but every path seemed to be blocked.
Anthony carefully tore out the sketch, packed away the remaining pages, and cautiously walked to the door. Using his Psychological Invisibility ability, he opened the door just a crack and placed the drawing against it.
The sketch shimmered for a moment and then melded seamlessly with the door.
With that done, Anthony observed the bustling nurses and wandering patients in the hallway before retreating back inside, closing the door behind him.
He turned to Ludwig and said, "Begin the treatment."
Ludwig hesitated briefly before stepping forward in small, cautious steps. He stood next to An Xiaotian's bed and placed both hands on the man's shaved head, which was covered with multiple scars and attached to various medical devices.
In the next moment, a damp, fresh sensation emanated from Ludwig's body, making the air feel like a forest after the rain.
Anthony waited patiently as the seconds ticked by.
Suddenly, he noticed small lumps forming beneath the skin on An Xiaotian's face, as if something was trying to push its way out. The lumps quickly retracted, shifting a few centimeters under the skin.
On the monitors, the data for heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation began fluctuating rapidly.
There's a response, but is it enough? Anthony held his breath without realizing it.
He cast Placate on himself, calming his nerves as he continued to wait.
Another twenty seconds passed before Anthony noticed the room becoming even darker, though he wasn't sure if it was real or just his imagination.
Then, all at once, the lumps beneath An Xiaotian's skin surged to the surface, tearing through his flesh and scalp.
They sprouted into various types of thumb-sized mushrooms-some had fleshy, veined patterns, others were soft and white, oozing a milky substance.
They kept growing, rapidly expanding until An Xiaotian's entire head was covered in a dense cluster of fungi, leaving only his eyes, nose, and mouth visible.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
The monitors blared, alarms going off as the data spiked wildly.
Several nurses rushed over, one leading the way and another pushing a medical cart.
But when they opened the door to the room, they didn't see the bed or the nearby bathroom. Instead, they were faced with a long hallway stretching into the unknown, with countless unmarked doors lining its sides.
Normally, the nurses would have stepped back to check if they were in the wrong place, but instead, they ran forward, opening door after door, desperately trying to find the real entrance to the room.
Amid the walling alarms, Anthony felt the room grow even darker. An ominous, dangerous energy began to fill the space.
Ludwig withdrew his hands, stepped back to Anthony's side, and stared at the now mushroom-covered An Xiaotian. Licking his lips, he said, "It worked."
Just as he spoke, An Xiaotian, still unconscious, suddenly sat bolt upright.
Bzzz, the electrical appliances in the room-lights, TV, monitors-all emitted a loud buzzing sound, so intense that it drowned out the beeping alarms.
At that moment, An Xiaotian, sitting up straight, opened his eyes. They were deep, dark, weathered, and slightly hollow.
In stark contrast to the mushrooms growing all over his head, his eyes looked unnervingly normal and sane.
An Xiaotian opened his mouth and spat out countless tiny spores, his voice hoarse as he said, "Be careful..."
As soon as Anthony and Ludwig heard those words, they suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of oppression. The darkness around them seemed to solidify, closing in on them and pushing them out.
Even with Anthony's mental fortitude and emotional control, he couldn't help but shiver, feeling the urge to flee the room.
The next second, An Xiaotian's voice turned sharp and piercing.
"Be careful of Zhou Mingrui!"
